THE meaning of abnormal is “different from what is usual”. In the language of mathematics, abnormal is something that falls beyond 2SD (Standard Deviation). By this definition, our special friends are abnormal; they are different. So I say yes, my daughter Aditi is abnormal. She is different from us in more ways than one. Comprehending […]
EVERY morning, Thomas went to the beach, picked up fish that were flipping and threw them back into the water. The fish had been stranded on the beach at high tide; Thomas saved their lives. A monk who came to the beach to meditate every morning silently observed Thomas and his actions. One day, the
ACCORDING to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), inclusivity means creating an environment where adult IDs have an opportunity to: What Navkshitij does Addresses behavioural issues Our special friends cannot go out and make friends like normal youth. By the time they reach us, the youth, especially males, have picked up habits
Understanding Inclusivity Read More »
ABOUT a decade ago, the concept of self-advocacy took the world of IDs by storm. Many parents and parent bodies had invested a lot of time and effort in trying to make IDs and their parents speak up for themselves. We decided to study the subject of self-advocacy in the context of IDs in depth.
WE saw the enormity of the problem; it was overwhelming. Most parents of IDs had surrendered to fate. Bringing up an ID child took away so much of their energy and their life that they had nothing left in the tank. Parents with borderline IDs devoted themselves to self-advocacy and finding a job for their
Navkshitij: An end-to-end solution Read More »
Written by Dr. C. R. Desai WE had learnt a new word: needs analysis. What was the need to establish residential homes like Navkshitij? What we learnt was staggering. Stunning statistics Data showed that one in two hundred children is intellectually disabled (ID). Simply put, there are about 70 lakh individuals in India who need
EARLY 2022 found me shell-shocked after the recent loss of Neelima. I was floundering to find my feet and get a grip on the reins of Navkshitij. Her dream of our Asawali project was weighing me down; a project worth almost 18 crore rupees. We then met God’s own man Mr. Ajit Bhate, the managing
WE had set up an ideal, ID-centric residential rehabilitation centre. The IDs, our staff and their children stayed together like an extended family. The news was spreading; we had withstood the challenges for seven years. We were on an even keel. Parents who visited our centre at Marunji saw this as an ideal place to
New horizons, new challenges Read More »
Written By: Dr. C. R. Desai You are entering the haloed temple of happiness; our special friends are the high priests of this temple. They teach us what unconditional happiness is; we have too many conditions for happiness. Life is a celebration; we have spoilt it by making it a competition. All our life we
Navkshitij: The ID-centric home Read More »
Written By: Dr. C. R. Desai THE question that haunts parents of the intellectually disabled is, “Who after me?” When Aditi was 18 years old, the same question haunted us. We visited some homes for IDs and came back in tears. We could not imagine our daughter staying there. We decided to take the plunge
Deep diving into the world of IDs (continued) Read More »
